Life went on. After twenty-five came twenty-six. Then twenty-seven. I was nearing my thirties and had plans to finally move out of my family house. Over these years, I kept working hard, taking overtime shifts wherever I could. I saved up enough to take out a loan and buy my own boat. It wasn’t big, and it was far from new, but it was spacious and fit for living and fishing. I left the firm I had worked at for six years and started my own business. Now I could be my own boss, spend my days however I wanted, doing the job I had always dreamed of. Sakharkarkhan and other mermaids helped me with fishing, showing the best spots or even herding fish into my nets. In addition, I started my small personal project of taking tourists for boat rides in the ocean. Running two businesses at the same time was crazy and frantic, but I persisted. At first, I took my friends and their families for a ride, telling them about mermaids, introducing them to Han and some others. Then my own family. Telling my mother the truth about her real dad was painful to watch. Everything she had ever believed was crushed and rebuilt, but it became a foundation for a new turn in our relationship. Meeting Han, meeting his children, who had already grown into beautiful young adults, and meeting the mothers, Karakhrane or Raskarerkne. The two boys really turned out to look almost exactly like me. The trip with my family was something none of us would ever forget. Some time later, my friend’s niece decided to pursue a career in marketing and convinced me to take her in for practice. That high-schooler, still seventeen years old, turned my side project into a profitable tourist attraction. I’d take more and more people to observe the ocean, telling curious listeners about the flora and fauna of the region. On rare occasions, mermaids would come around, freaking everyone out but also giving me the opportunity to change human perception of those creatures. Tourists in late summer and autumn, fishing in winter and spring. I kept spring and early summer free of rides to protect my beloved friends from unnecessary intrusions during their most vulnerable period.

  When I was twenty-eight, Karakhrane or Raskarerkne decided to have more children. Sakharkarkhan and I became their donors again. This time, they had three girls and one boy.

  A year later, my grandmother passed. I was one year from being thirty. She went peacefully in her sleep. Before her gradual weakening and eventual death, she showed my mother her secret will. Since the secret of her life was finally out, she wanted a proper mermaid burial. I asked Han and his family to organise and carry it out. They agreed. In August of that year, my grandmother’s remains were sent off into the ocean in the trusted hands of our underwater relatives. We all mourned her for a long time. Her absence showed. The house was emptier, quieter. Me, living on the boat instead of with my parents, made the remaining inhabitants of that home feel lonely. After the New Year celebration, my parents packed all their essentials and moved into a smaller apartment by the ocean shore. All of us seemed to move closer and closer to the water.

  My life was going well. Two successful businesses that kept me afloat, a loving relationship with my family and my partner, stable and close friendships. I felt fulfilled and confident. I helped willing people from my city learn more about those they had always considered monsters and learn not to fear them anymore. TV stations and journalists attempted to get me into the same room with Ramon, to put us in a friendly debate about creatures of the ocean, but I always refused. I didn’t want fame. I didn’t want to make my personal life the centre of everyone’s attention. My life finally went as smoothly as a gentle sail on calm water. That was until I hit thirty…

  As usual at the beginning of summer, Sakharkarkhan went away to hide. I took that month off, turning June into an annual vacation. I spent my time renovating the boat at the docks, meeting friends and family more, learning new skills and hobbies. This time, I picked up painting. I went to classes or communal gatherings for enthusiasts. In the evening, I would hit the beach, get some laps in the water and under. After, I would visit my parents for dinner or go back to my boat I lived on now and cook something. This cycle would repeat in variations week after week. On my birthday, I went out with friends, meeting my family in the evening. It was a whole day of celebrating me, my accomplishments, and so much more I could achieve in the future. Like each year, I missed Han a lot. His name slipped into the conversations several times, but I wouldn’t be able to forget about him even if it didn’t. Never theless, it was a great day. I finished it off with a bottle of wine on my boat, staring at the clear night sky over the ocean. The stars were very beautiful that time. The next day, I woke up late. Late coffee, late breakfast, late everything. By the time I stumbled off my boat, it was already twelve in the day. I went to my favourite spot, where Han and I usually spent most of our time together. Familiar rocky cliffs that embraced a secluded beach, big and strong waves of the ocean that filled the air with crushing sounds. I thought it would be a simple, peaceful walk.

  When I came to that beach, I saw something in the distance. At first, I couldn’t distinguish what it was, but as I got closer, I recognised the silhouette of a mermaid. It was Sakharkarkhan. He was lying in the sand not far from the water. A giant smile crossed my lips, eyes widened in excitement. I ran towards him, screaming his name with glee, but… Soon my delighted, easy run turned into a terrified sprint. It struck me as weird before that he wasn’t moving, yet when the sun reflected off his shiny body in a bloody red sparkle, I knew it was bad. My excitement turned into horror. I ran as fast as I could. Upon laying eyes on him, I almost didn’t recognise him. His face was beaten up so badly that blood and swelling made it seem indistinguishable. Cuts seeped red liquid that gathered in his eye sockets and rolled down his cheeks as tears. All over his body, hands, and tail were deep cuts and bruises. Someone had mutilated him with what seemed like a hunting knife. I had never seen so many wounds on one being. The sand was red from his blood. As I fell to my knees next to him, I felt my legs getting drenched in the wet substance. I didn’t know where to start. I had never seen so much blood. I was calling for him, yelling for him to wake up. I was afraid to even touch him. Tears started to drip from my eyes, making the picture hazy. My heart ached, beating fast. I grabbed Sakharkarkhan by the shoulders, gently attempting to shake him. When it didn’t work, I had no other choice but to pick him up. If he wasn’t dead yet, he would die without water. Carefully but hastily, I took him in my hands and carried him to the ocean. I walked against the waves until Han’s and my bodies were submerged. The water around us was coloured red from his blood. I knew it would trigger other mermaids to come and help. They were like sharks, able to smell blood from kilometres away and distinguish when it was one of their own. Then I looked down at him. The sight brought so much heartbreak, fear, and anger, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. However, this time I saw his sleepy, tired blue eyes staring back at me.

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  “I’m here. Please, hold on. Please!” I whimpered.

  I heard female mermaid calls. Two of them were almost flying towards us, making waves in the ocean. I kept talking to Han, pleading with him to stay alive. I felt him breathing weakly in my hands. All I could think of was begging the universe, a higher power, or fate to help him pull through. Soon Karakhrane and Raskarerkne emerged from the ocean before us. Their eyes were burning with rage and horror. At first, they were ready to jump me, yet after recognising me, they stopped.

  “Please, help him!” I cried out. “I don’t know what to do. Please, I can’t lose him!”

  The females swam closer to take Sakharkarkhan from my hands. However, before I could let go, I heard the man speak. He raised one of his hands out of the water, reaching for me. I leaned towards his tender touch as his weak voice said:

  “Isaac… kiss… me…”

  I obliged. As I kissed him lovingly, tears kept rolling down my face. Then I had to let him go. The females took him and rushed away. I started backing out of the ocean as I felt my legs giving way beneath me. I couldn’t catch a breath between sobs. When I reached the shallow water, I fell to my knees, screaming in pain. My heart was tearing apart. Emotions were breaking me, bursting out in tears and yelling. I was afraid, angry, desperate. I didn’t know what to do. My head was spinning, my body wasn’t listening to my commands. I couldn’t move. All the noise of my suffering mixed with the clashing of waves. I can’t even remember how I ended up in the hospital.

  Next time I came to my senses, I was tied down to a hospital bed with some kind of liquid being delivered into my vein by IV. Next to me sat my mother. She jumped from her place when she saw me waking up. I broke down crying in her arms. She sat with me for half an hour, consoling me. I told her everything. We cried together. I was mortified, and I felt so useless. I couldn’t help him, I couldn’t save him. I didn’t even know why he was there. Later, when I calmed down a little, my mother told me how I ended up in the hospital. Apparently, I was yelling so loudly, some people on the nearby beach heard me. They came to check, seeing a pool of blood on the sand and me sitting in the water, bawling my eyes out. Since my clothes were soaked in blood, they assumed it was mine. They tried to pull me out of the water, but I fought them, resisting any reason. I was refusing to get to the shore or tell them what was going on, so they called for help. Police dragged me into the ambulance, where they had to sedate me because I was throwing punches in all directions, attempting to escape back to the ocean even from a moving car. While I was unconscious, they checked my whole body, found nothing, then tied me down and gave me fluids because I was slightly dehydrated. I could only apologise for my behaviour. Police came to take a statement, attempting to understand whose blood I was covered in. However, as soon as lab results showed it was a mermaid’s, they dropped it. The official report said that a mermaid attack led to my temporary insanity. The news talked about it, trying to get an interview, but I avoided it all like the plague. I didn’t have time for it. I had to go to therapy to talk it all out. It was weird having to lie about a real situation, changing the reality of it to a fake story. The hardest part was not knowing if Han survived. Though therapy helped a little, I was still fuming with rage. I had my suspicions about what happened, all I needed was a confirmation.

  In about two weeks, Karakhrane and Raskarerkne came to me. I was on my boat, trying to fall asleep when I heard their calls. I jumped up, running outside, fearing that they would inform me of the unthinkable. However, they didn’t. Sakharkarkhan was expected to pull through and be well enough in another week or two. I cried with relief. Yet something about those women’s eyes told me it wasn’t the reason they wanted to meet.

  “Revenge. We crave. Revenge,” Karakhrane said with a strong accent.

  “Do you know who did it?” I asked.

  I could feel my heart picking up pace.

  “Ramon. The man… called… Ramon,” Raskarerkne replied.

  I saw red. My blood was boiling. I clenched my teeth as my hands gripped the edge of the wooden pier with such strength, I felt the boards bending slightly.

  “I knew it,” I growled.

  All three of us were out for blood. For revenge on the man who had brought so much pain into our loved one’s life. That night we conducted a plan. I was to bring Ramon to them.